 Hello, I'm Fire Chief Tony Gosier with the Santa Rosa Fire Department. The Fire Department has implemented a new Pandemic Response Unit within Santa Rosa. The unit was placed into service this morning, Tuesday, April 14, 2020. This unit, known as Squad 1, will be staffed with one paramedic and one EMT from our department. This is in addition to our normal daily staffing of 10 engines, two-letter trucks, and a battalion chief that protect and serve our community. The Pandemic Response Unit is designed to minimize potential department and community exposure to the coronavirus and is stocked with specialized personal protective equipment and advanced life support gear. The crews assigned to the unit will follow new operational guidelines that have been developed for our department. This includes our response, the level of protection we wear, and how we interact with the patient. The team assigned to this unit will be dedicated to responding to all emergency calls within Santa Rosa where the coronavirus is suspected or a patient is experiencing flu-lag symptoms. That means these staff who are wearing a higher level of personal protective equipment will be the primary members of the Santa Rosa Fire Department directly in contact with the potentially infected patients. This team will utilize best practices to minimize contact with the potentially infected patients and will decontaminate before leaving the location of any emergency call. Our department is one of the first few agencies in the state of California to establish a unit of this kind in response to the coronavirus. Our Pandemic Response Unit is now in service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will remain in place for as long as we determine there's a need in our community during the pandemic. This is by far the most proactive and innovative method to reduce exposure to the coronavirus and limit the possibility of widespread infection within our community, our department, and the families of our staff. Thank you. For more information, visit srcity.org slash prevent the spread or call 2-1-1. Watch local coronavirus updates from the City of Santa Rosa on Comcast Channel 28 and AT&T Uverse Channel 99.